New Regional Final venue announced for the UK’s biggest amateur golf tournament

The Matchplay Championship, the UK’s biggest amateur golf tournament, has reached an agreement with Marriott Forest of Arden in Warwickshire, that will see the prestigious venue host the event’s annual Regional Finals for the next three years. Host of several European Tour events in recent years, including the British Masters and English Open, Forest of Arden has built an impressive reputation as one of the country’s best championship venues. The announcement underlines the growing stature of an event that continues to set a significant precedent for amateur golf tournaments in the UK. The North Regional will take place on the Arden Course on Tuesday 3rd April 2012, while the South Regional will be held on Thursday 5th April.

“This is an important development for the Matchplay Championship, which not only demonstrates the growing pedigree of the tournament but our ambition to provide the most complete golf experience for our competitors,” commented John Woosey, Managing Director of The JRW Group. “You only have to look at the list of winners the Forest of Arden has produced, in order to realise that this is a quality championship venue. Three-time winner on this year’s European Tour Thomas Bjorn, former Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie and Open Champion Darren Clarke are just a few to have won here. Clearly it has identified great champions over the years and will now play an integral role in determining which players are whisked off on the trip-of-a-lifetime to Dubai and compete in our Grand Final.”

The Grand Final qualifiers will be hosted for seven nights at the stunning Dubai Marriott Courtyard Hotel and play four rounds of golf at the world-renowned Els Club. The sensational prize is on offer to the successful 40 competitors from the Men’s Pairs, Mixed Pairs and Men’s Singles events, which began in July this 2011.

“We are delighted to host the Matchplay Championship Regional Finals for the first time and look forward to welcoming the wide-range of golfers that this tournament attracts,” commented Iain Burns, Director of Golf, Marriott Forest of Arden. “With a rich heritage in tournament golf and our location in the Midlands, just south of Birmingham, we are ideally placed to welcome golfers from all over the UK. We’re looking forward to the next three years and watching the Matchplay Championship go from strength to strength.”